Back in the throne room, Julian was drawing a draft of the crib he was designing for the royal baby with the help of Elyon since she was still miffed that her brother and sister-in-law kept the pregnancy from her, the royal couple thought that letting her help with the crib would be a small compensation. Orube was running between talking to the couple and helping Julian and Elyon with the design. All three had promised to keep the pregnancy a secret from the other guardians; despite not having met Irma properly, even Orube agreed that it would be wise to keep it from her. In the brief moments that Will and Phobos were alone, they quietly discussed their visit to Ero tomorrow, the baby, and the matter of their missing friend.

"If things keep going like this, then all of Meridian will know by next week. I was so hoping to keep this a secret for a little longer. I still have nightmares about all the people congratulating us at our wedding, I can't imagine the amount of praise and congratulations we'd get if they found out we were expecting a baby." Groaned Will silently and leaned against her husband's chest, "It is going to be a nightmare."

"Keep calm Wilhelmina, we both knew this day would come one day. We just weren't careful enough." Replied Phobos and rubbed his wife's back in a comforting way. "I wonder who's fault that is."

At that, Will lightly punched her husband in the side where no one could see. "It takes two to tango."

Phobos stifled a wince and held firm, he didn't need the rest to see their marital quarrel. Quietly, but without the slightest hint of malice he hissed, "And only one to pretend they can't open the knots on their dress."

For a moment, bot interrupted their quiet argument when Orube returned to the group. With an excited smile, she asked, "Do you two already know what it is going to be? Julian wasn't to use a royal blue for the fabric, but Elyon is thinking of a deep red in case it is a girl."

"Orube, we have known about the baby for less than three months; unless I go to Earth, sneak behind my parents back to a clinic for a test, and then manage to catch the letter from the clinic before my mother check the mailbox, I highly doubt I'd know until I decide to tell my mother. However, when I do, I know my mother will find a way here to skin this husband of mine. So how about you folks decide everything except the color of the cloth." Replied Will as she felt a headache coming on, coupled with nausea from the pregnancy, Will wanted nothing more than a hot bath.

"Why not white?" asked Phobos, since he knew Julian would have to know the color scheme in order to choose the wood for the frame.

"white?" asked Will a little confused, "I never heard of a white crib in Meridian. I know it is a common one on Earth, but I doubt even the royals there use a simple white."

"We can always change the cloth later to fit the frame, but I think Julian would like his job a little easier if he knew what color scheme to follow. There are five hundred different types of wood in Meridian alone and each has a different color. I doubt Julian would like to build five hundred different cribs so we can decide later what color cloth." Answered Phobos before turning to Orube with a smile. "White is a neutral color and we can change it later. If Julian wants to be very specific, he can take inspiration from the wood the furniture in this castle. Most of it is a dark color, but he doesn't have to follow it if he doesn't want to. I am sure once it is born and grown, it can choose its' own furniture."

Orube smiled and ran back to Julian and Elyon with the idea. Once alone again, the couple continued to argue.

"Well, now that that is settled, how long will it take for us to travel to Ero tomorrow?" asked Will as she looked out the window. She had seen quite a bit of Meridian and was excited to see more of Metarmoor. "Are we taking an expressway or the long way?"

"Neither," replied Phobos and joined his wife at gazing out the window at their kingdom and the land that separated them from Ero. "The Ero royals prefer to travel using wind stallions. They have the ability to ride into the sky and on top of the clouds like they were solid ground. They are the fastest creatures to travel with besides the dragons of Morovia, however, I doubt they would lend us any of them. Tomorrow, Isabella is sending us two carriages that will bring us to Ero."

"Two?" asked Will a little confused.

"One for you, me, and Elyon and one for Cedric and Orube."

"Cedric is coming with us?" Will asked in a low hiss. She already knew that the Lord disliked her, and she didn't feel like spending a few days in a foreign kingdom with him.

"He has been under a lot of pressure with all the recent changes and the changes yet to come. I thought he could use a change of scenery. Ero has a similar social structure to that we are trying to implement here in Meridian; if he saw how well it worked there, he might be a little happier with what we are doing here. Besides, he knows Isabella and Myra and I am sure he missed them."

"Well, lets' hope we can find Danny by tomorrow. I don't want her to be lost in Meridian while the kingdom's head is in another palace." Replied Will, a little worried about her missing friend. Then again, what did she have to worry about if Danny was trained to hunt and control creatures like crawlers?

"I have the guards looking for her at nearly every corner of the castle and I have them patrolling the village. If she doesn't come back on her own, then she will be dragged her. If she is allowed to come back any time soon, however, is another question." Unlike Will, Phobos held the least worry that their friend would be lost in Meridian for long.

"I practically waltzed in and out of this place whenever I needed to kick your keister, what makes you think your guards will be any better at finding her than they did me?" Will asked with a smirk and Phobos simply rolled his eyes at his wife.

"The difference is that I enjoyed having you visit me. I was being lenient on you."

"Sure, you were." Replied Will, fully knowing her husband was just trying to cheer her up. The embarrassing part was that it worked. She smiled as she remembered the times she strolled in and out of the castle trying to stop one of her husband's villainous plans. He was calling it lenient, but she knew he was saving face in front of her; he wasn't masochistic enough to allow her to best him, even if it would make her happy.

Just as Will was deciding whether or not to kiss his cheek for trying to lighten her mood, there came a knocking at the throne room doors. Quickly, Julian rolled up his plans for the crib in order to keep the secret he promised to keep; he managed to tuck the plans away in his vest pocket when Taranee and Hay-Lyn came in, dragging a tipsy Irma between them. With a heavy and tired sigh, Taranee addressed the group that stayed behind. "We didn't find Danny, but we found our dear-old Irma getting drunk in a pub. The Pubkeeper was laughing about some story she was telling him involving her mom's make-up and recreating a scene from National Geographic."

"Did you guys have any more luck finding Danny? Certainly, the guards must have found her by now." Asked Hay-Lyn as she slid out from underneath Irma's arm and let her friend sit on the ground like an old rag doll.

"I wasn't gettin' sloshed." Said Irma, slurring her words worse than a sailor. "I found Danny and she told me to drink. I did and she said she'd go out to get some fresh air. I waited for her and the pub dude just kept serving me more, if I told him the powder story. Danny said I'd be rude if I didn't take the drink the guy gave me. You all know I hate to be rude."

The group only shook their collective heads at their drunk friend. Orube barely knew her new coworkers, but already worried that this would be a regular occurrence. She hated drunks and dreaded having to rely on one should her life depend on it one day. Before anyone had the chance to chastise the drunk guardian, the great throne room doors swung open again and Cedric, led by Miranda, came in carrying an unconscious Danny in his arms. Once Irma saw her cousin in the arms of the snake-lord, she screamed and cried for him to let her go as she remembered the days in which they were enemies and feared he had done something to her.

"What have you done to her you slime-bag! Let her go or I'll freeze your reptile tail off! You can kiss your toes goodbye!" she screamed as she struggled back onto her feet. Luckily, Taranee and Hay-Lyn were close enough to keep their drunk friend seated on the ground.

"Cedric, can you explain what happened?" asked Phobos since he suspected a rational explanation that would keep Irma from drowning the entire castle.

"She ran right into me in the troop's quarters and fainted when she got a good look at me. I thought it best to bring her here, so everyone knew she was safe and well." Replied Cedric and gently placed Danny on the ground, though he would rather have thrown her into a hole in the ground and forgotten about her. Then again, if she managed to get in and out of the castle without being noticed by anyone, she might be able to claw her way out of any situation.

"She fainted!" repeated Will to make sure she heard correct before asking, "Why did she faint?"

"Danny is afraid of snakes." Irma slurred as she crawled her way over to her cousin and gently patted her forehead. "She got bit by a rattlesnake while visiting family in Texas and has been scared of them ever since." Just then, Danny groaned and began to wake-up. Like a worm, she writhed on the ground for a bit before forcing her eyes open and smiling up at her dear Irma.

"Oh Irms, I had the worst dream ever. You were there," She then looked over at Taranee and Hay-Lyn, "And you two were there," She then turned her head a little to see Will, Phobos, Elyon, Julian, and Orube. "And you four idiots were there, and then there was this giant, fucking, sna-" it was then that Cedric leaned a little closer so Danny could see him over Irma's shoulder. "GIANT FUCKING SNAKE!"

Like a crab, Danny scuddles backward a bit until she felt safe enough to grab a weapon; she had completely forgotten about the spear on her bracelet. Feeling like she should attempt to delegate the situation, Elyon quietly spoke up. "Danny, you don't have to be afraid. Cedric is a friend."

"Ain't no such thing as a friendly nope-rope little girl." Replied Danny as she jumped to her feet. "Someone got a gun, a knife, a big boot, a giant can of Raid? I need something to get this thing out of my sight, pronto, or I'm gonna start throwin' things!"

"Cedric, I suggest you change forms before things continue to escalate with our guest." Ordered Phobos and Cedric, though reluctant, complied. Within a minute, the giant snake shrank in size, the tail contracted and split into feet, the prominent jaw and fangs retreated, and the eyes changed from reptile yellow to a calm green. Danny almost couldn't believe it; like Janet, the monster in front of her turned human. Even less believable, was that Danny knew this guy, he was the man she saw at the book shop before she got to Meridian. Given everything she had experienced so far, Danny could have kicked herself for being surprised.

"Still feel like throwing a big boot at me?" Cedric asked Danny with a smirk before slowly approaching her. "Now, If I may have the word I suggest you apologize to the King, Queen, and your friends for causing such a disturbance before I decide to forget my manners and have you thrown in the dungeon."

"Quiet the manners you got there." Replied Danny before turning to her friends with her head hung in shame. "I am sorry for running off like that. I just wanted to see this place a little more and got board walking about the castle. I won't apologize completely though; I don't regret getting that beer."

"Your stunt in the pub got Irma drunk. How are we supposed to get her home? If her parents saw her like this, they are going to ground her for life!" Danny had to admit that Taranee had a point, but she was surprised that a single mug managed to get Irma shit-faced. Then again, maybe Irma decided to have a little more than she could handle. Irma was always one to party, get alcohol involved and she became a loose cannon.

Quietly, so no one else could hear, Will turned to her husband, and asked, "Should one of us attempt to heal Irma of her intoxication? Taranee is right."

"No," replied Phobos with a slight grin as he found all of this rather amusing. "I think we should let Irma suffer a bit for her actions. She knew better than to get drunk while on a mission."

This made Will roll her eyes, but she had to admit that the punishment fit the crime. Surely Danny wouldn't let her cousin get into too much trouble. Judging by Danny's calm demeanor, this wasn't the first time Irma let her guard down around alcohol and, since Irma never mentioned getting into trouble for it, it meant that Danny had saved her hide once before. Just as she suspected, Danny rose to the occasion. "Don't worry about it. We pull stunts like this all the time, I'll simply have her stay at my place for a few hours until she is sober. I let her use my shower, get all clean and pretty, and then return her to her parents with a pretty, red, bow on top."

"Considering you got her into this mess, it is the least you could do to get her out." Was Hay-Lyn's response as she let Irma lean on her, who was about to fall into a drunken slumber with a wide, goofy, grin on her lips. Beginning to struggle with the extra dead weight pressed against her, Hay-Lyn grunted and asked, "Could someone take her off me? She is beginning to use me as a mattress."

"Hand her over." Said Danny and picked Irma up like a sleeping child, Irma immediately wrapped her arms around Danny's shoulders and snuggled against her like she was her knight in shining armor. "Let's get her back on Earth before she hurls. I can handle baby puke I can't handle drunk teen puke." Danny then turned to the royal couple and grinned like she just won the lottery. She was glad that Irma was giving her the best excuse to leave since she still felt uneasy about being in the same room as the snake man. "Like the Terminator, I'll be back."

Still smiling, she let Taranee and Hay-Lyn lead her out of the throne room. While shenanigans with the drunk guardian were going on, Orube was given a moment to observe the Lord in his human form. As a snake he unnerved her, but didn't frighten her; as a human, she was stunned by how handsome he was. With his long blond hair, smooth chin, high cheekbones, and a mischievous glint in his eyes, Orube was surprised she didn't see a wedding ring on his finger. Then again, considering the amount of work he must be faced with on a daily basis, perhaps he didn't have the time to chase after women. Given the amount of work she'd be facing soon, she too would have no time to think of chasing men, but she wouldn't mind having a cup of coffee with him in a private room once or twice if given the chance. Given the light-blue circles under his eyes and the exhausted way he held himself upright, Orube guessed that the Lord could use a cup of coffee and a friendly shoulder. With the confidence she was born with, Orube walked over to Cedric with a smile to introduce herself. "Hello, I am afraid we haven't met yet. My name is Orube, I'll be Queen Wilhelmina's personal bodyguard and replacement guardian until Cornelia either comes to her senses or a new generation of guardians is born."

Orube itched at the fingers to tell Cedric about the Queen's pregnancy, but she promised to keep it a secret. Her reasoning was that, if Yan-Lyn was the guardian with power over wind and so was her granddaughter Hay-Lyn, then there was a high chance that Will's child would have the power of quintessence. Cedric, still upset that Danny wasn't even given a warning for her actions gathered his remaining energy for a friendly smile and shook Orube's extended hand in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you Orube. I'm Lord Cedric; I wasn't aware Queen Wilhelmina was in need of a personal bodyguard. I thought our King was doing a great job so far."

"I am sure he is, but I was ordered by the Oracle to take this job. I can't really take down an order from him, now can I? Besides, the Heart of Kandrakar requires a team of five members in order to function properly; your King might not be a threat, but there might be others we aren't aware of yet."

"So, you have also mastered the power over earth?" asked Cedric with a raised eyebrow as he heard each guardian was the sole master of their power. While others could get close to their skill level, none could master them like they could, even when they were cut off from the power of the heart. Orube only shook her head but kept her smile.

"Sadly, I fear Cornelia is the only one with that ability, but my strength and agility should compensate for that until she comes to her senses or the new generation is born. If you wish, I could try and fill you in on the details in private later, you look like you could use a strong cup of coffee."

"Queen Wilhelmina's changes to the kingdom have taken a lot of my time and energy and I fear that there will be no end for a long while. I'll take you up on your offer for coffee another day when I get the chance and there isn't a lunatic running rampant in the castle." Orube thought Cedric's remark was directed towards Danny and he wasn't planning on correcting her; he really meant Queen Will herself, though Danny was a close second.

XXXXX

Once the troops were called back, Orube was settled in a room in the castle, and Julian left for home to start his work on the crib, Miranda was given the chance to reconnect with her friend Elyon; since the wedding, she hadn't seen her friend. She had attempted to write letters about her travels as promised but never got the chance. Settled in Elyon's old room from when her brother was still a tyrant, the two girls chatted over a warm cup of tea to fight off the cold in the room that hasn't been used in nearly a year; a fire had been started in the room's fireplace, but the small flame still took time to heat the room.

"You never wrote to me, as you promised." Muttered Elyon and Miranda thought her sour tone of voice was because of the broken promise when in reality it was because Elyon was still upset at her brother for keeping such an important secret from her.

"I wanted to, but I am not sure how to put into words how fancy the joy houses in Cina are." Replied Miranda with a chuckle in an attempt to lighten Elyon's mood.

"Joy houses? What do you mean?"

"It is a nice way of saying whore house, Elyon. Cine is home to one of the greatest networks of them." At that, Elyon nearly choked on her tea before spluttering.

"You went to a whore house?"

"I didn't visit them for their services." Replied Miranda as she took a sip of her tea. "It is part of their culture and that is what I was studying. Cina takes great pride in housing them, despite what rumors have you believe. The greatest and oldest is run by a Madam Fantin. None of the men and women who work for her do so because they are forced or have no other alternative, they work for her because they like their profession and the money it pays. In fact, Cina was founded by men and women like Madam Fantin; before the joy houses, Cine was nothing but a farm camp for peasants to earn extra money or get out of debt. Men and women worked themselves to death without the slightest break or comfort. They worked, cooked, slept, and died in one small area; some men would pay their employers simply to see a pair of undergarments. Now, the first one to start a brothel was Madam Fantin's ancestor Madam Lury who saw a market niche and turned a massive profit; with the profit, she got other investors to notice Cina and they started to build pubs, hotels, markets, and banks in Cina. If it weren't for the royal family in Gia, I am sure the royal family in Cina would stem from Madam Lury." Elyon had to admit, that was an interesting history lesson on one of her neighbors, but she still couldn't imagine willingly wanting to study the evolution of a brothel town into a functioning kingdom. Carefully she asked.

"If Cina's existence is thanks to brothels, then why did you say, 'despite what rumors have you believe'? That makes it sound like people are saying some nasty things about that place."

"It is a brothel business Elyon, people are always going to find reasons to despise it no matter the benefits it brought to the place. Men and women don't really like to admit they aren't satisfied at home." Replied Miranda and casually sipped her tea, glad she could teach her friend about an interesting kingdom before someone else could spoil her image of it. "There are hundreds of interesting things about our neighbors and I intend to learn all of them. Another thing I learned was that Morovia is home to the last Dragon Jockey."

"That is something you could have wrote about. Do they ride dragons like horses in a race?" Asked Elyon, now keener to hear her friend's stories.

"There is only one left and she doesn't really ride them anymore. Her name is Penelope and she has the unique ability to communicate with the hive mother. From what I have heard, she is supposed to be the one ruling over Morovia, but Orlan's uncle pulled a sneaky move and made Orlan king before Penelope was old enough to even walk, despite her being older than Orlan by three months. It is said that anyone who controls the hive mother controls the dragons of Morovia." Replied Miranda and Elyon hung on her every word.

"So, I am guessing the hive mother is the dominant dragon?" asked Elyon, her tea completely forgotten.

"She is." Replied Miranda and finished her cup, she felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than a warm bath and a comfortable bed, but she knew Elyon well and knew that the princess wouldn't let her rest until she divulged the rest of her information. Secretly, Miranda kicked herself for even mentioning the dragons when she was already so tired from her long day with Cedric, whom she told the same information to. Perhaps she should write a book about her travels so she wouldn't have to retell it over and over like a broken record. "Like bees on Earth, the hive mother is the only one allowed to lay eggs and mate. Her drones are the size of horses, but she is huge, and those dragons aren't the civilized kind you have heard of; these dragons closely resemble the ones from those fairytale books you told me about. They are primitive and extremely aggressive, the only humans allowed near them and their hive mother is the jockey and whoever the jockey allows close to them. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to meet Penelope and can't tell you more about the dragons. All I know about their purpose is that their ability to breath fire is used to power Morovia, so they can use one hundred percent of the coal they mine for export."

"What else have you learned from your travels? It feels like you have seen the world and here I am barely knowing anything about Meridian. Heck, I barely know how Heatherfield was founded and I grew up there." Elyon begged her friend to continue, but Miranda yawned and shook her head.

"I'd love to, but I am exhausted. I have been awake since early this morning and I am still a little tired from my journey back. I'll tell you every detail about my travels when you get back from Ero, I should be well-rested by then."

"No fair, you broke your promise to write to me, so you owe me this much." Whined Elyon, but her friend wouldn't budge.

"Elyon, I am about to fall asleep sitting here. Don't worry, I won't forget anything I have learned. Besides, when you get back, you can tell me everything you have learned about Ero; I didn't get a chance to see it and am curious about it." With that, Miranda got up and patted her friend lightly on the shoulder as she left. As she left the room, she called back, "I won't break my promise twice."

Elyon was left to stew in her own anger. First Will and Phobos break their promise to tell her should they ever expect a baby, and now her close friend broke her promise to tell her about her travels. She began to wonder if a promise was still worth anything in Meridian.

XXXXX

In their bedroom, Will was pacing back and forth in front of her balcony door and occasionally glancing out; she tried to hide it earlier, but now she didn't have to strength anymore to hide her nervousness. She remembered that Isabella seemed to like her, though she only met the foreign queen once and it was at a wedding. What if Phobos's cousins took the role of the overly protective in-laws and thought she wasn't good enough to be with him. Would they nitpick everything about her? Would the retired queen Seras even be willing to teach her a few things about children, considering she was expecting herself? What if she did something stupid and her hosts thought she was rude? Will barely remembered all the rules and manners of Meridian and feared what was expecting her in Ero. Phobos, unlike Will, managed to keep his nerves calm; if anything, he was looking forward to seeing his cousins again. Lately, he remembered the year in which the two lived with him in Meridian when they were children and also remembered all the little adventures they went on and the trouble they got into; he remembered the time they escaped the castle and bought baked apples from Julian. It had taken Phobos a few hours, but he remembered meeting the man before he became the ruler of Meridian and wondered if Julian recognized him; if the old man did, he hid it well.

"Wilhelmina, stop pacing like a caged beast and come to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow and I doubt Isabella and Myra would let you get any rest until well into the night. Best get some sleep now; I even put all my other work to rest so as to keep you warm, since you always complain about how cold the bed is without me." Phobos complained and patted the empty spot on the bed beside him that was reserved for her.

"What if I do something wrong and your cousins hate me for it? How do I even greet them? Do I address them by their title, or do I greet them like family? What if they don't like me? I couldn't blame them, I mean, I am from another world and have made so many changes to Meridian. What if they think I am trying to copy them? What if-"

"Wilhelmina, that is enough." Phobos cut her off before she worked herself into hysterics. He then got out of bed and approached his wife, who shook like a leaf in the wind. "From what I remember of my cousins, they are kind to all those they meet and will love you like a fourth sister. If I remember Seras correct, she might attempt to adopt you, if she thinks your mother isn't giving you enough attention. Besides, if they didn't like you, they wouldn't have invited you to celebrate Princess Elizabeth's first birthday; they would have invited me and allowed me to bring a plus-one. You are working yourself up over nothing."

Will sighed heavily and leaned her head against his chest; he had to be right since he grew up with royal mannerisms. "Still what if I do something stupid. I know absolutely nothing about Ero, and I barely spoke with Isabella at our wedding. I don't want to look like an idiot in front of them."

"If you look like an idiot then so will I. In case you have forgotten, I was never able to leave Meridian until I was bound to you. Plus, my cousins never told me much about Ero when they were here as children; they mostly complained about how cold the weather is and now the flowers they loved in Meridian didn't grow in their homelands. From what I have managed to gather, they have similar customs as we do, so you don't have to worry too much. If you want, I'll do most of the talking until we know where we stand with them." Will was thankful that her husband was willing to play the fool so she wouldn't have to but knew that trick could only go so far.

"I just want them to like me." Sighed Will and dared a glance in the reflection of them in the balcony windows. Looking at them together, they did make a very odd pair. With her short hair and underdeveloped figure, she looked alien to this world while her husband fit in like a book in the library. Then again, she did remember wishing for a prince when she was little and in love with classic fairytales; now, fate gave her the prince she had asked for all those years ago. Considering how lovingly he held her and kissed the top of her head, Will had to chuckle to herself when she remembered the battles they used to get into when they were enemies. A little baffled at his wife's sudden mood change, Phobos pulled away from her a bit and looked down at Will confused.

"Is there something funny I am unaware of?" he asked as Will's chuckle turned into a burst of light-hearted laughter and Phobos began to wonder if all pregnant women changed moods this easily.

"Look at us," she jutted her chin at their reflection to make Phobos look at it. "We make such an odd pair; can you believe we used to hate each other?"

Phobos looked at their reflection and moved to stand behind her so they both could face their reflection comfortably. "We do make an odd couple, but a lot of things are odd lately; frankly, I'm not complaining. If you wish, I could start treating you like I have back when we were enemies. I could start keeping you in the dungeon, demand the heart from you, and do with you whatever comes to my mind. However, that seems rather tiering. Living like this, with you, seems a lot easier." His hands then ran down the sides of her body until they rested on top of her abdomen. "It will also be easier for our child. I would hate for it to have to visit its' mother in the dungeon daily."

"You are a lunatic." Chuckled Will and reached up to fun the back of her hand against his cheek. She was sure that, if he were a cat, that he'd be purring against her touch. Aware she was watching, he turned his head and gently kissed her hand before turning his attention to her neck and shoulder; a small part of him was sad that his beautiful wife was already with his child since he had hoped for, at least, one year of honeymoon bliss before they considered becoming parents. He didn't complain, however, since all the luck he was experiencing felt like a gift from the heavens for him. Will suppressed a giggle and pulled his arms a little tighter around her; her husband was prepared to abstain from touching her too roughly, but Will didn't intend to do the same. Leaning back a little, so she could whisper in his ear she said. "Could you help me with the knots of my dress?"

To her surprise, Phobos stopped kissing her and chuckled before holding her at arm's length and turning her to face him. With a slight smile on his lip, he looked down at his wife and shook his head. He already fought with himself not to give in to her demands and knew that should he see her bare, that he would give in and would continue to give in whenever she wanted it. If she weren't blessed with child, he wouldn't mind, but he wasn't going to risk the health of both his wife and child should he be too rough with her. "You fooled me once with that trick, you can't trick me a second time; especially since you aren't fully dressed anymore."

"You are just being careful because I am pregnant." Retorted Will but wasn't going to argue with him. She knew he only meant well, but just like her husband, Will had hoped she wouldn't conceive for a few years after their wedding; especially since she had promised this to her mother. Still, if she couldn't have what she wanted, she would make it difficult for her husband; she had to practice her behavior as queen after all. "I won't fight with you, but I want you to carry me to bed. I don't feel like walking."

Phobos raised an eyebrow at Will and looked between her and the bed that was less than ten steps away. Since she had the strength to pace around the bedroom like a trapped cat, he doubted Will was suddenly struck with weakness. Still, he wasn't going to fight since he already convinced her to come to bed. With a swift and fluent motion, he picked Will up like a new bride and brought her to bed.

XXXXX

Back on Earth, Taranee, Hay-Lyn, and Danny managed to half walk, half carry their drunken friend to Danny's house where Ella was waiting for Danny to return so she could go to work without having to worry about taking care of Gwen and Jack. When Danny did manage to return, Ella wanted to beat her over the head with the phone book; luckily, by the time Danny returned Ella didn't have the time, so she simply threw Danny a list of chores to do before bed and headed for work without noticing Irma's intoxicated state or the smell of alcohol and tobacco on Danny's clothes. Either that or Ella lost the ability to care long ago. Mike and Tony weren't home as well, so Danny was the last clear-minded 'adult' at home. With an exhausted sigh, Danny heaved Irma onto the worn-out sofa before turning to her remaining friends, "Thanks Ms. T and Y.F. Now, how about you two skedaddle on home before your parents begin to worry. I'll phone Irma's parents and tell them their daughter is staying with me for a bit. Next time you girls go to Meridian, remember to take me with you."

"Okay, I get the Ms. T reference, but what does Y.F. mean?" Hay-Lyn asked Taranee, who simply shrugged. From his seat on the recliner, where Danny was sure he had grown roots, Roger chuckled and said.

"She means Yellow Fever. I knew Danny was a chip off the old block."

"Uncle Roger, the day you turn out to be my dad is the day I turn out to be the Queen of England." Replied Danny before returning her attention to Taranee and Hay-Lyn, "But he is right, I do mean Yellow Fever."

"Wow, that is a bit on the…umm…uhh.." Taranee didn't know how to come to her friend's aid, but Danny seemed to do the work for her.

"Racist? Well, I wasn't born to be nice. I was born to hunt monsters and be a pain in the ass; so far, I am living up to my birthright." Both Taranee and Hay-Lyn were shocked at Danny's attitude towards her behavior, but they weren't surprised. Little surprised them about their new friend since meeting her.

"Danny, word of advice, that behavior isn't going to get you far in life. You are our friend, so we are worried about you. Meridian is safe, but you still could have gotten hurt. We wouldn't have searched for you if Meridian was a playground." Said Hay-Lyn, but Danny only shook her head at that advice.

"Girls, you forget that I was trained to hunt animals you folks see as monsters. Besides, I turned out alright, didn't I? Besides, calling each other names is what friends do." Finally, Hay-Lyn had reached her breaking point. She could understand Danny's behavior back in Canada, she could handle Danny's swearing, she could even understand Danny's sense of exploration, but Danny was choosing to be insulting in the guise of friendship. If Danny kept on that bath, she feared her friend's future was grim; worse, Danny seemed to look forward to it.

"Danny, friends don't call each other horrible names. If you really consider us your friends, then you'd call us by our real names until you can find proper nicknames for us; ones we enjoy as well. I don't like being called Yellow Fever." She cried, her voice close to cracking; however, before either Hay-Lyn or Taranee could continue, Danny spin around and faced them with an expression best directed towards an annoying toddler than close friends. Within three steps, she was in their face and used her height to look them straight in the eyes.

"Listen, folks, I get growing up in this lovey-dovey town has made all of you a little soft, but I ain't ready to treat anybody not sick or dying with velvet gloves. Now, word of advice from me; if I ever start to use your proper names, run for hills 'cause that means I am about to go on a killing spree." Her voice was level but carried a hint of warning what sent a chill down the girl's collective spines; sensing she was scaring her friends, Danny smiled calmly and said, "If you don't believe me, just ask Irma when she is sober. I am both bark and bite, but I don't bite people that don't piss me off. Now, skedaddle, and don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you before I start biting." She said the last part with so much vibrato, what Taranee and Hay-Lyn shrank back in fear Danny would hurt them; however, when Danny burst out laughing, they realized this must be one of her back moments. Still, they didn't want to overstay their welcome and quickly hurried out the door. Outside and out of Danny's earshot, they both agreed to keep clear of her for a while. Back inside, Danny chuckled to herself before turning her attention to her sleeping cousin.

"Irmsy dearest, wake up," Danny said in a soft tone and gently patted her friend's head when Irma only smiled in her sleep, Danny's gently smile dropped and her voice lowered a few notes. "Irms, if you don't wake up, I am gonna have Roger sit on your face."

This caught Irma's intoxicated attention and forced her eyes open before smiling up at her cousin with a dreamy look in her eyes. "I wish someone would look at me like he looked at her."

"You mean how Eyebrows look at Red? Don't worry, you'll get a guy to shag you one day." Replied Danny, thinking Irma was talking about Will and Phobos. Irma only shook her head and continued to smile while continuing ramble in her drunk mumble

"No, I mean Cedric. I want someone to sneak glances at me as he does with Miranda. Maybe there will be another wedding soon; Meridian weddings are magical. Remind me to tell Hay-Lyn to show us the pictures she took of Will's wedding. Maybe Miranda and Cedric's kids will be advisors to Will and Phobos's one day." Irma then trusted her fists in the air and shouting, "Family tradition! I just wonder what Miranda and Cedric's kids will look like…you know…with him being a snake and her being a spider."

"You mean Miranda kills her husbands like those black widows on Tv do?" asked Danny, praying that Irma would say yeas.

"Nah, she a spider. Not sure what kind though. I hope she ain't the kind to eat their men; I like our snake boy… he a cool dude…Will like Phobos…Phobos trusts Cedric…so I trust Cedric."

"Irmsy, I hope those two don't go on makin' babies. That would just be two nightmares colliding and ain't nobody got time for that. I wouldn't even know what to call those critters that are gonna crawl out of that cootch…or egg sack…wait, does Miranda lay eggs or give lives births?" asked Danny, her discomfort growing more and more.

"Don't know, but I'd call their babies sneaky-spiders." Replied Irma and laughed drunkenly.

"Spider-snakes rolls off the tongue better Irms."

"Danny," Irma then gazed at her friend lovingly, "you are awful."

"I know, and that is why people love me."

Author's Note:

At times, I regret delving so deep in the lore and history of Metarmoor. It is a tone of fun making this stuff up, but I am beginning to reread my own work to make sure I don't contradict myself. If I do, I am sorry, and I'll fix it as soon as possible. Yes, Cina was properly founded by prostitutes, but I based that on real world events. Fun Fact: the wild west would not have gotten as big as it did without the help of prostitutes.

Would you guys be interested in a test at the end of the story to see who has been paying attention and who wasn't? I did want to become a teacher once, so it would be nice to see if I can keep your attention.

Yeas I am implying a homosexual relationship between Irma and Danny; however, it will never really happen since they are related, Irma is straight as an arrow, and Danny is as asexual as an ameba. So, to keep things simple, they are just really close friends that can be weird together. Now, I did paint Danny in a bad light here on purpose and I hope all you can decipher that purpose before the end of the story; I'll just have you know that Danny is not a bad person, but just a pain in the ass that has been beaten over the head with a phone book once too many times.